Insights From Children’s Art Expert Bette Fetter: Top Blog Posts for June 2013
We kicked off the month of June with a video from our How to draw series. • How to Draw a Monster 
Enjoy reading the top posts for the month of June.
art and learning
Parenting: A Dad Life Video
We love dad’s and want to honor them all year but especially on Father’s Day. Take a few minutes to enjoy this musical tribute to suburbanite dad’s. Get ready for to see how they use playful rap to share their thoughts on raising kids, Disney movies, barbequing and landscaping.
Art and Academics: Creativity
Are you creative? Can you draw? Paint a picture? Do you hold a patent for a new invention that will change the way we live?
Creativity is often defined in relation to artistic ability but creative thought reaches far beyond the arts and has profound implications in all parts of our lives. Creativity is about thinking outside the box, bringing fresh insight to established patterns of thought, rules and relationships. Creativity is a process of personal expression and playful pursuit, but creativity is also a highly sought after commodity, in business as well as the arts. Creative ideas may produce a work of art or music, it can lead to breakthroughs in science and engineering, increased personal satisfaction and career success, even solutions to highly complex social issues.
We are all capable of creative thought, but like other skills, it requires development. Countries all around the world have made the development of creativity a priority. However, while the United States has been a world leader of innovation in the past, increased emphasis on standardization, testing and cuts in arts programs, means we are no longer developing creativity and innovation in our students. Yong Zhao, author of
Teaching Kids How to Draw: How to Draw a Monster
At Young Rembrandts, an after school enrichment program that teaches kids how to draw. The more kids we teach, the more parents ask – when are we going to teach them. So we’ve recorded a few, 2 minute, easy to follow, step by step “How To Draw” videos. Get out your pencil and paper and learn to draw a monster.
Early Years: Learning to Write
For Mother’s Day I sat with my grandson and together we made a present for mom. Knowing mom loves his art, I taught Brayden how to draw a pot of flowers. After drawing we talked about colors and coloring until ‘all the white parts of the paper were covered’. Four-year-old Brayden sat still, used his fine motor skills, was quiet, intentional and focused for at least forty minutes. His satisfaction and finished drawing was a reminder of how much impact forty minutes of focused activity means to a developing preschooler.
Imagine being a kindergarten teacher, tasked with teaching 25 sweet young students how to write. It’s a pretty daunting task and not for the faint of heart. Now imagine how much harder it is if these young ones can’t sit still, use a pencil, follow directions or spend much time in any focused task. Now imagine the enormity of the task for your kindergartener. There’s a lot riding on being able to write – and write legibly. From now on school is going to be about writing. The physical act of writing, even the speed of one’s writing,
Speaking at Mother’s and More Tonight
Tonight I am honored to be the special guest at “Mother’s and More”. Join me as I will be speaking on “The Value of Arts on Early Learning Development for Children.”
Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce
427 W Virginia St Crystal Lake, IL 60014
If you are available this evening please join us!!
Three lucky moms will go home with a copy of the book “Being Visual“!
Teaching Kids to Draw Video: How to Draw a Puppy
Have you run out to the store and bought your child new pencils and a drawing pad for these fun “How to Draw” videos yet? I am encouraged by the response to these 2 minute, easy to follow, step by step videos. This week we are going to learn how to draw a puppy.
How Children Learn: 10 Tips for Teaching Visual Learners
Imagine my excitement when Education.com asked me to share insight from my book, Being Visual. What an honor! If your child is a visual learner, they may be struggling in the classroom. Understanding learning styles is a fantastic way to help a child succeed academically. We parents don’t like to settle for anything less then success for our kids and I’m excited to have the opportunity to help.
Education.com is a great resource for parents and educators. They
